Watching
by crimsonearth22
Summary: I watched him pretend everything is sunny in his world...for a guy with a 'permanent sunny disposition', his eyes sure have a lot of shadows...
1. Watching

Welcome to my first _Ninja Storm_ fic. Well actually, it wasn't my first written-that one is a little longer and probably a little more confusing. But this is the first one that I'm semi-confident in posting, so please be gentle with me.

Disclaimer: Jordan is mine, everything else is Saban/Disney's.

Watching

I watched him pretend that everything was sunny in his world. I watched him pretend to have bounced back with the help of the discovery that he hadn't been wrong to trust the bike guy. I watched him turn away the other's concern with a well-executed blond moment. But I knew that Marah's betrayal had cut deep. I knew that Shane had been right when he said that Dustin was into her. I knew that no matter how many times Hunter and Blake tried to tell him not to blame himself, the Yellow Ranger hadn't believed a word they said. And I knew that however much I despised the girl for hurting him, I would have to find a way to convince him that he had been right to want to trust her.

I hiked deep into the forest where the computer said his morpher was and came into a clearing that was beautiful--and empty. I sighed softly.

"Dustin." I called out gently.

The only response I had was the soft twittering of birds and the sound of water nearby.

"Dustin, please don't hide from me. I just want to talk. I know you're tired of being mothered and I respect that. I just want to tell you something."

There was still no sign of him and I sighed softly, taking a deep breath and hoping that he could hear me and I wasn't just talking to myself.

"You aren't the fool here Dustin. She is, for turning down your friendship, your trust--your love. If she can't see how precious a chance you gave her, then she doesn't deserve you. She has no idea how lucky she was to have you. There will be others who..." my voice cracked and I cursed my emotions, hoping that if he was here, he wouldn't notice the falter of my voice. "...who will." I finished as strongly as I could.

I was beginning to feel stupid for talking to thin air, so I turned to leave, only to find myself face to face with my quarry. I shrieked in surprise before I could help myself and stumbled backwards, losing my balance to land flat on my back on the forest floor.

"Don't do that!" I yelled out of frustration.

Dustin grinned sheepishly, reaching down to give me a hand up. "Sorry."

I took his hand and let him help me to my feet, brushing the leaves and dirt off my rear. "I'm glad I'm not a girl that minds getting dirty, because you'd drive me insane." I muttered.

Then I looked up to find him staring at me. I opened my mouth to ask him why and closed it again when he reached up and took a leaf out of my hair, letting it drop slowly.

"Thanks." I said, cursing under my breath at the breathlessness of my voice.

"Anytime." Dustin replied softly.

A long silence stretched between us until I couldn't stand the awkwardness anymore and gestured to his leaf-and-dirt-covered appearance.

"You obviously really want to be alone, what with the phasing and all. I'll just..."

Dustin put a gentle hand on my shoulder, stopping me. "You don't have to. I thought you were one of the others, trying to cheer me up again."

I shrugged awkwardly. "It hurts. Nothing anyone can say or do is going to make it better. Only time can."

He looked at me for a long moment, looking thoughtful. "You're the only one that doesn't think I'm dumb for trusting her in the first place."

I ignored the bitterness I felt at the mention of the evil ninja. "You trust people Dustin. It's who you are. You can still see the good in people. I love that about you. And I don't ever want to see that change, because you wouldn't be Dustin anymore. You'd be just another cynic in a world that has far too many as it is." I said quietly.

"Thank you."

"For what?"

"For believing in me. For caring. Though I kinda got the impression that you didn't like me very much."

I wanted to laugh at the irony of that sentence but didn't. "It isn't that I don't like you Dustin. We just don't have very much in common. I'm better with computers than people and you're better with people than computers."

"So is Cam."

"Yes, but Cam is also a Ranger. You two can relate in that way. I can't imagine what that's like. If worst comes to worst, you two can talk about that. I know nothing about motocross and I didn't get the impression that you were interested in technical things."

"That may be true Jordan, but I bet we could find something we both know something about if we tried."

I smiled as something occurred to me. "Dustin?"

"Yeah?"

"You haven't said 'dude' once since we've been talking. I always knew you weren't the airhead you choose to pretend to be."

He blushed. "Don't let that get around. I have a reputation at stake here."

I laughed. "Your secret's safe with me. But I hope you know that you don't have to act that way around me."

Dustin looked thoughtful. "I do. Maybe it's because you were the only one who didn't judge me for what happened, but I really feel like I can be myself around you. Thank you for that."

It was my turn to blush--only slightly, thank God. "What are friends for?" I said tentatively.

He smiled--a real smile, not a goofy grin. "I'd like that. That is if you wouldn't mind hanging out with a space case."

I laughed softly. "You Dustin, are anything but a space case...although I don't pretend to understand the motocross thing."

Dustin laughed and slung an arm over my shoulder. "I could say the same about your thing for all things technical." He pointed out, leading me out of the clearing and toward Ops.

=============

"Amazing."

I looked up and twitched an eyebrow at Cam. "What's amazing?"

"Dustin hasn't uttered one airheaded comment all day. He must not be feeling well."

I chuckled. "He's not that bad."

"Around you perhaps. Sometimes it's all I can do to keep from strangling him."

I just shook my head in amusement. It never failed to amaze me, how his own friends couldn't read past his valley-girl act. It was so obvious, at least to me, how fake it was and had been so from the moment I met him. Now I merely had proof. For example, while his vocabulary might be limited to 'dude', 'bro', 'chick', and 'like' when he was around the others, when it was just the two of us, he never ceased to amaze me with the breadth of his true vocabulary.

Which, much to my surprise and delight, came from reading nearly everything he could get his hands on--though he guarded that secret fiercely, only ordering his books and magazines online. I had only found out about it when he quoted one of my favorite novels and expressed such a delight in the fact that we liked the same author that he didn't hesitate to reveal that it wasn't the only author we had in common. Now I chose the books I bought with him in mind, because he never failed to ask to borrow them when I was through reading them.

"Jordan?"

"Yeah Dustin?" I asked absently.

"Have you eaten?"

I shook my head, keeping my eyes on the screen. "Not since this morning."

"Jordan." He sighed in exasperation.

"What?" I shot back in irritation.

"Do you have any idea what time it is?"

I glanced over at the clock. "Well let's see, the little hand is on the nine and the big hand is on the seven..." I began sarcastically.

Dustin ignored my sarcasm. "It's past nine-thirty at night Jordan. That means that you haven't eaten in nearly twelve hours. This is the third time this week. You can't keep doing this to yourself Jordan. You have to eat like everyone else."

"Yes Mom." I drawled sarcastically, turning my attention back to the screen.

I figured he'd be satisfied with getting his lecture in and that would be the end of it. Imagine my surprise when I was bodily picked up from the chair and swung over a black-leather clad shoulder.

"Have you lost your mind?" I snapped angrily.

"If you're going to act like a child, you're going to be treated like one."

My eyes widened and my mouth dropped open in shock. "Waldo Dustin Brooks, put me down right now."

"I warned you Jordan. If you can't take care of yourself properly, I'll do it for you."

"Dustin." I warned.

"Dustin, put her down." Sensei said firmly.

I breathed a sigh of relief at the intervention, sending the guinea pig a grateful look when Dustin obeyed without question, setting me on my feet.

"However, Dustin is correct. You must learn to take better care of yourself Jordan. The computer will still be here tomorrow. Go home. Eat. Regain your energy. Come back tomorrow."

I sighed in defeat. "Yes Sensei."

Under the watchful gaze of both guinea pig and earth ninja, I shut down the program I had been working on and straightened the area around the computer. Then I let Dustin lead me out of Ops and streak me back to town.

"Dustin?" I asked quietly as we walked to my apartment.

"Yeah?"

"Thanks."

Dustin stopped at the entrance to my building, turning to face me. "I worry about you Jordan. Please try to not let this happen so much."

"I'll try." I promised. "I just get so caught up..."

"I know. But no amount of work is worth your health Jordan. You're going to burn out or worse. I don't want to see that happen."

"I know. I don't mean to lose track of time. I really don't. I just hate to sit around my apartment doing nothing all evening."

"Then don't. Let's do something at night. Just the two of us. We could go to movies, or play miniature golf, or bowl, or rent movies, or play board games…"

I blinked in surprise. "You'd give up your nights just to hang out with me?"

"I like hanging out with you. I wouldn't be giving up anything. I'd be gaining more time with you."

I had to fight to keep the hope from rising. "That's very sweet Dustin, but I couldn't…"

"Hey, I want to. Either way, I'm not going to let you spend nights all alone in Ops."

I knew by the look in his eyes that it was useless to argue with him. Few knew it, but Dustin Brooks could out stubborn the other four male Rangers put together.

===========

"Hey Dustin, you want to check out that new movie at the multiplex?" Hunter asked a few weeks later after a battle.

"Can't dude. I already made plans."

I saw the other Rangers exchange a concerned glance in the reflection on the computer screen. "Dustin, I know you're still bummed out about..." Tori began gently.

I was going to scream if I heard that girl's name one more time, so I breathed a silent sigh of relief when Dustin interrupted her.

"No, I'm not. I promised someone that I'd come over tonight."

"Who?" Shane asked curiously.

"A friend."

They exchanged another look. "Would this friend happen to be female?" Blake asked with a grin.

"Yes."

I winced inwardly, knowing what that would provoke. I was right. "A date? I'll be damned." Hunter laughed.

"It's not a date." Dustin sighed.

Cam chuckled. "You are a guy, she is a girl, and you are going to her home. I believe that is the definition of the word 'date'."

Dustin rolled his eyes. "She's just a friend okay?"

I felt a sharp pang at the words, even though I knew they were true.

"Uh huh, sure." Blake laughed.

"I'm serious dude. It isn't like that."

My hands faltered on the keyboard. Would they leave it alone already? Must they rub it in?

"We believe you." Shane chuckled. "I wish I had a friend to visit tonight..."

The teasing went on for a few more minutes until I couldn't take it anymore. "Dustin." I said quietly.

"Yeah?"

"You might as well go to the movie with them. I don't feel up to putting the Cycles through their paces tonight."

"You sure?"

"Go have fun. You can help me some other time."

I had to keep my voice as quiet as possible to mask the emotion in it. I really had been looking forward to our almost nightly visit. But I couldn't stand to be reminded that I was nothing more than a friend to him any more right now or I'd say something stupid, like that I didn't want to be just a friend.

Blake sounded sheepish. "Sorry man. You try to help Jordan out and we give you a hard time for it."

"Yeah, that really wasn't very cool of us." Shane admitted. "Sorry guys."

I shrugged. "You didn't know."

Tori still sounded guilty. "Well since you aren't going to work tonight, why don't you come with us?"

Cam snorted in amusement. "I highly doubt Jordan would be interested in attending a horror film."

I frowned. What gave Cam the right to think that he knew what I would or would not be interested in?

"You know what? I think I'll take you up on that. A trip to the movies sounds good after the past few weeks." I said as I turned around in the chair, smirking in satisfaction at the surprise on Cam's face.

Dustin caught my eye and grinned mischievously at me. "What was that Cam?"

The Green Ranger threw his hands up. "Just when I think I know the girl, she does this to me."

"That's what you get for thinking that you know everything Cam." Hunter chuckled.

I rolled my eyes as he got into an argument about whether or not he was like that, but couldn't help laughing with the others. Yes, a movie with the young defenders of Earth sounded just fine.

* * *

Okay, I'm sure all of you are probably getting ready to laugh me off FF.net with how I decided to give Dustin more depth than just an airheaded motocross rider, but please remember that this is only my opinion of who Dustin Brooks might be underneath the dumb comments and valley accent. I was just tired of him having such a rep for being just the comic relief and token dumb jock. I choose to believe that he's a lot smarter than people give him credit for, and that a heart of gold isn't the only good point he has. People have many reasons for wearing a mask to hide their feelings, and I believe that not everyone is exactly what they seem to be.

Anyway, I'm not sure whether or not I want to go any further with this story or just make it a one-shot, so please consider dropping me a line with your opinion on whether or not this is worth continuing. And if anyone wants to see the mini-epic that was my first NS story, let me know and I'll consider posting it. Unless you guys gang up on me and order me back to my old-school PR writing. Lol.


	2. Learning

To Darkniteangel2004: You have no idea how glad I am to hear that! lol. Thank you. I realize this is a bit late, but better late than never I like to say. Anyway, it's nice to hear compliments, so thank you.

  
To Samantha: I like a deeper Dustin too. (Obviously.) I'll try to unravel the mystery that is Dustin (lol), but have mercy on me if I confuse you. Psychology isn't my strong suit. You read my mind about having a chapter from his POV, though you'll notice that the style of writing is a little different. I have a feeling that while Dustin may be faking a lot of his ditziness, he's still a bit of a goof under the mask too. As for my mini-epic, it's really confusing and it's actually a mini MMPR/PRNS crossover. And it has a Hunter/OC/Dustin triangle that ends up having a twist of a happy ending.

  
Disclaimer: All I own is Jordan. Everything else is Saban/Disney or their respective owners.

  
Author's Note: Anyone who can guess where I got the character of the pro rider from gets a chapter dedicated to them.

  
Learning

  
I watched her pretend that she was fine with our movie night turning into a night out with the team. Oh, I knew she would never admit it, but I wasn't as clueless as everyone tended to think I was. I had been watching her from out of the corner of my eye when the guys had started in on me. And before you say it, I never said I wasn't airheaded, I just said that I wasn't _that_ airheaded. I really should have known better to just admit that I was planning to go over to a woman's house on a Friday night. But my brain had instantly gone into Jordan-land when Hunter brought up tonight, so I hadn't bothered to think about what I was saying and who I was saying it to.

  
It really bothered her, the guys thinking that we were going out, even if they hadn't known it was her at first. Otherwise she wouldn't have tried to cancel on me, making up that story about the Cycles so that everyone would know it wasn't a date. I sighed at that memory, even though I had known that she didn't see our time together in that way. I wasn't sure which was worse, having everyone think that I was pining after Marah or knowing that I was going overboard trying to become Jordan's best friend so I could spend more time with her.

  
"Dustin? Where you at man?" Shane asked me on the ride to the theater.

  
Uh oh. It wasn't good to be too obviously lost in thought. "Dude, did you hear that Factory Blue is coming to town? It'd be so awesome to race one of the factory riders." I exclaimed, knowing it would cover my slip.

  
I saw Jordan frown for a second out of the corner of my eye when Blake and Hunter grabbed the topic and ran with it. I knew she didn't like it when I donned the space case persona to get out of serious subjects, but I knew she wouldn't say anything. Not in front of the others anyway. And not when she tended to hide behind the sarcastic tech rep for the exact same reason.

  
"Better start practicing bro." Blake laughed. "Those guys are the best of the best. I don't think even Hunter or I could beat one of them."

  
"Well yeah. But just to share the track with one of the pros would be _totally_ out of sight." I retorted.

  
Hunter shrugged. "Who knows, you might get your chance. We should try to find out when they're going to be here and scope them out. We might learn something."

  
Blake nodded. "Anything that can help improve my race I'm all for."

  
"You'll have plenty of time. They're going to be here for a week." Jordan said quietly.

  
All three of us looked at her in surprise. "How do you know?" Hunter asked.

  
She shrugged. "My brother was tight with one of the riders. Josh McGrath."

  
I exchanged a wide-eyed glance with Blake and Hunter. "Dude, how come you never told us that before?" I exclaimed.

  
Jordan smirked wryly at me. "You never asked."

  
I smirked back at her. I was going to get her for that. I mean, I may not be _entirely_ about motocross, but this was a piece of information I would have liked to have found out _before_ Blake and Hunter.

  
I was grateful when our arrival at the theater moments before the beginning of the previews let me out of having to keep up the mile-a-minute conversation I knew the others expected of me, especially since we were talking about motocross. But my relief didn't last long before I forgot all about having the chance to be quiet without arousing suspicion. What could rain on my proverbial parade you ask? A flash of green. And I'm not talking about Cam's shirt.

  
I was probably imagining things, but it seemed a little too convenient that Hunter ended up on Jordan's free side. And he kept whispering something to her that made her laugh and smack him on the shoulder half-heartedly. Did they have to be so damn obvious? Geez. Rub it in why don't you? Yeah I know, I really didn't have the right to complain since I hadn't given them any reason _not_ to flirt a little. But it was only fair not to make the innocent bystanders heave into their popcorn buckets. Yeah, I don't handle jealousy very maturely. So sue me.

  
Let me tell you, sometimes it really pays to have a reputation for having a two-second attention span. I might get annoying sometimes, having everyone treat you like a space case. But when you're too busy obsessing about your mega crush flirting with one of your best friends to pay attention to a movie everyone else ends up talking about later, you have a handy excuse not to know what the hell they're talking about.

  
"...Dustin?"

  
Uh oh. "Uh, what?"

  
Tori rolled her eyes in exasperation. "I asked you for your opinion of the movie."

  
I grinned sheepishly. "I wasn't really paying attention dude. Sorry."

  
The others just shook their heads in amusement, except for Jordan of course. She really looked worried now, and I knew I was going to be in for it the moment she got me alone. But I didn't really care. I was just looking forward to being alone with her. It was getting late, so we decided to call it a night, and I wasn't really surprised when Jordan said that she felt like walking home since it wasn't very far. She had been a great sport, but I knew being in a crowd wasn't her most favorite thing in the world. That and I knew she wanted me to volunteer to walk her home so she could corner me.

  
I _was_ surprised however, when Hunter beat me to the punch. Jordan looked as surprised as I felt, and I could tell she didn't know how to turn him down without causing a big fuss. I wished she would just ask me to come with her, but I knew she wouldn't. It would give the others the impression that she favored me and I knew that was something she didn't want.

  
Jordan shot me an uncertain look before agreeing reluctantly and it was all I could do to keep from making the fuss I knew she was trying to avoid. What was going on here? Since when was Hunter into Jordan?  
========  
I'm sorry this chapter is so short, but it seemed to be the only way I could finish it in Dustin's POV and have the story still make sense. So to make up for it, I've posted two chapters this time. Enjoy :)

  
Jen  



	3. Questioning

Disclaimer: Jordan is mine, Josh is not, and the Rangers obviously are not.  
  
Questioning  
  
I was _very_ surprised when Hunter volunteered to walk me home. I don't think I had ever spent any real time alone with him. Not that I ever really spent time with any of the others either, but at least Tori or Shane or even Blake I had had random conversations with when they happened to be at Ops when I was working. Hunter had never really seemed eager to bother me when I was working.  
  
The walk to my apartment building was silent, and to me the silence was awkward. And as I said, that was no surprise. However, Hunter finally broke the silence when we were close to our destination.  
  
"Jordan?"  
  
"Yes?"  
  
"I was just wondering…if you would help me with something." he said uncertainly.  
  
I glanced over at him and was startled to see him looking nervous. I didn't think I had _ever_ seen the crimson ninja less than completely confident in everything he did.  
  
"I can try. What is it you need help with?" I asked him gently.  
  
"Well…I feel kind of bad for giving Dustin such a hard time earlier. I want to do something to make it up to him, and he sounded kind of wistful when he was talking about the factory riders…"  
  
I smirked wryly, getting the picture. "You want me to see if Josh would mind riding with you guys when he's in town."  
  
I was amused to see Hunter color in the semidarkness of the sidewalk. "Kind of, yeah."  
  
I chuckled. "I'll make you a deal. I'll see what I can do with Josh if you'll tell me why you've been acting so weird all night."  
  
"I have not." he protested.  
  
I gave him my best I-wasn't-born-yesterday look. "Right. All that stuff at the movies? If I didn't know any better, I'd say you were flirting with me."  
  
I was surprised to see him color deeply. "Um…well…"  
  
I studied him carefully. "You're messing with me right?"  
  
Hunter shrugged, hands in his pockets. "You _never_ go anywhere with us Jordan. And there's never a good time to talk to you at Ops, because you're always working."  
  
Oh boy. If this was going where I _thought_ it was going, I was in a pickle. "What exactly are you saying Hunter?"  
  
He shrugged again. "Nothing."  
  
I eyed him skeptically. "So you just decided to pick _tonight_ to flirt with me? For no reason at all?"  
  
"Yeah."  
  
"Right." I drawled wryly.  
  
That was the last thing said for the rest of the walk to my building, but Hunter spoke up when I began to go in.  
  
"Jordan."  
  
I turned back to look at him questioningly. "Yes?"  
  
Hunter climbed the steps until we were facing each other, almost eye-to-eye since I was standing a step above him.  
  
"Would you ever, I don't know, want to do this again sometime? Just the two of us?" he asked with a shrug.  
  
Uh oh. "You mean like a date?" I asked for clarification.  
  
Hunter shifted his weight, looking at me through his messy bangs. "Yeah."  
  
I bit my lip. "I don't know if that's a good idea Hunter…"  
  
I mean, Dustin may be oblivious to how I felt about him, but going out with Hunter wouldn't help the situation any. Then again, it was obvious that the Yellow Ranger had a thing for Marah, no matter how ridiculous it seemed to me…  
  
"You never know until you try. All I want is a chance Jordan. That's all."  
  
I hesitated, but he was right. Since Dustin's attention was already taken, maybe it was time I found someone of my own. "Well…all right. Did you have anything in mind?"  
  
"Tomorrow night?"  
  
I nodded. "Where do you want to meet?"  
  
"Would you mind if we met here?"  
  
I thought about that a moment, then shook my head. "I don't see why not. You realize of course we're never going to hear the end of it from the others."  
  
Hunter shrugged. "Probably. Especially Dustin, considering the guff I gave him tonight."  
  
I nodded with a sigh, biting my lip. "We don't necessarily have to volunteer our plans. I mean, we can't lie, but we don't have to advertise either."  
  
He studied me a moment. "That really bothered you, didn't it? The teasing we gave Dustin over your plans tonight?"  
  
I shrugged uncomfortably. "He should have thought before he answered your question the way he did, but you guys should have left it alone after he said that it wasn't a date."  
  
"I really am sorry about that. I was just hoping that he had finally gotten over Marah."  
  
You and me both. "Yes, but he's not going to want to volunteer that information if he's afraid he's going to get hassled over it."  
  
"Good point. If you would feel better not telling the others outright, that's cool with me. But you know Blake's going to ask."  
  
I sighed inwardly, but nodded. "I figured that Blake would know. I'd just prefer the others not know unless it comes up."  
  
Hunter nodded. "So I guess I'll see you tomorrow night then. Seven okay?"  
  
"Seven's fine. Good night Hunter."  
  
"Night Jordan."

----------  
I wasn't particularly surprised to find Dustin at my door the next morning as I got ready to go to Ops. "Morning Dustin."  
  
"Morning. So what was up with Hunter last night?"  
  
I sighed inwardly. Figures he would have noticed that. "What do you mean?"  
  
Dustin gave me a Look. "Don't play dumb with me Jordan. I'm better at it than you are. He was flirting with you last night."  
  
I sighed out loud. "I know."  
  
"So?"  
  
"So what?"  
  
"It was obvious that he was trying to get you alone."  
  
"He wanted to ask for my help with something." It was partly true at least…  
  
"That's it?"  
  
"What do you mean 'that's it?' What do you want to hear, that he kissed me?"  
  
Dustin got the strangest look on his face. "Did he?"  
  
I rolled my eyes in exasperation. "No."  
  
I could have sworn that he breathed a sigh of relief. "Well there must have been _something_ else. He could have asked you about that project at Ops."  
  
"Dustin, what's with the Spanish Inquisition?" I sighed.  
  
"I just thought it was weird, the way he was acting. That's all."  
  
My eyes narrowed in hurt. "What, a guy can't want to flirt with me? Is that it?"  
  
"No! That wasn't what I was saying."  
  
"Then what _are_ you trying to say?" I demanded crossly.  
  
Dustin held up his hands in defense. "Nothing. I just didn't think you and Hunter were that close, that's all."  
  
I rolled my eyes. "Stranger things have happened Dustin. Now can we please talk about something else?"  
  
"Sure. Hey, I still have those movies we were going to watch last night. I'll bring the popcorn." Dustin offered.  
  
I winced. "Tonight?"  
  
"Yeah. Why?"  
  
"I can't tonight."  
  
Dustin blinked in surprise. "Why not?"  
  
"I already made plans."  
  
"Oh. What are you doing?"  
  
"I don't know. We didn't really talk about it. I think we're just going to play it by ear."  
  
"We?"  
  
I gave him a curious look. "Yeah, we. What, did you think I was washing my hair or something?"  
  
He shrugged. "I've heard stranger things about you girls."  
  
"Oh, thanks a lot."  
  
"You know what I mean. So tomorrow night then?"  
  
"It's a plan." I sighed in relief.  
  
Dustin looked at me curiously. "What?"  
  
"Nothing, it's just that I was worried that you would be upset that our movie night got postponed again."  
  
"Why would I be? It's not like we had already decided to have movie night tonight. Besides, it's not like it's going to become a regular thing. I mean, it's not like you have a date or anything."  
  
I winced. "Um…"  
  
Dustin stopped in his tracks. "You have a _date_ tonight?"  
  
"Is that so surprising?" I asked in annoyance.  
  
"Yes! I mean, no. I just…" his voice trailed off and I knew he knew by the look on his face. "_Hunter_?"  
  
I was really beginning to get annoyed now. "Yeah, so?"  
  
"So, it's _Hunter_. You guys haven't spent but maybe five minutes together the entire time you've known each other."  
  
"So? Maybe we just need to get to know each other. Honestly Dustin, I'm surprised at you. You were the one who told me that I needed to get out of Ops more."  
  
"Yeah, but…"  
  
"But what? Can't you just be happy for me? It's not like I've had guys beating down my door you know." I said quietly. Damn it, it _hurt_ that he was harping on this.  
  
Dustin was quiet a long time, studying me intently. "You're right, I'm sorry. I guess I just took for granted that…I'm sorry."  
  
I wished I knew why he looked so sad. I mean, it's not like I wasn't going to hang out with him anymore. And his reaction to finding out about the date really surprised me. I knew it wasn't cool to choose a date over a friend, but he acted so…jealous. But that was ridiculous…wasn't it?  
========  
And so the plot thickens…I'm evil, I know. But I just couldn't resist throwing a little jealousy into the mix. With Jordan so sure that Marah was in the picture, and Dustin beginning to think that Hunter had taken his chance, will the two ever figure out how much they mean to each other? Even the author doesn't know. Lol. But she'll find out eventually. Thank you for reading my little story here, and please remember to drop a line or two so I can know what I'm doing right/wrong/horribly wrong.  
  
Jen 


	4. Brooding

Title: Brooding

Chapter: 4 of ? of Watching.

Author: Jen

Disclaimer: I don't own PR, Disney does. I do own Jordan however, so no take, no trouble.

Author's Notes: I apologize for the delay. I had Chapters 4 _and_ 5 written a long time ago and they were promptly lost when my computer crashed. So I had to work this from memory and ended up going in another direction with it. Anyway, I finally got to where I felt was a decent stopping place, even though the chapter ended up being pretty short. Enjoy, and as always, feel free to comment. **the real vampire: **Thanks for pointing that error out to me

Man, I am _such_ a fool. How could I have ever thought that Jordan would wait for me to get up the nerve to ask her out? That no one else would ever see the things in her that I did? The things that made her special? It was only a matter of time before someone else took the chance I was too chicken to take and now all I could do was kick myself for it.

What was worse, it was one of my own best buds that did it. True, they hadn't even gone out on the date yet, but Hunter could turn on the charm when he really wanted to. The dude may be dark and brooding most of the time, but when he felt like it he could be a great guy. Jordan may act tough and hard-to-impress, but I knew it was only because she wasn't accustomed to people looking out for her. Deep down, she loved it when I forced her to stop working so damned much and enjoy life for a change, not that she would ever tell me that--not in words anyway.

And Hunter was very good at taking care of people from looking out for Blake for all of these years. Dude probably wouldn't get it right the first time, but Jordan wouldn't hold that against him. Man was I screwed. I couldn't say anything now. It so wouldn't be cool. Buds don't go after bud's girlfriend dude, it just wasn't right. Besides, if I tried to stop this, would never forgive me. She already suspected that I didn't think she deserved a love life like everyone else. I wasn't about to ruin a really great friendship over jealousy. No way.

This was going to be fun though. With my luck they'd hit it off great and end up getting married or something and have a whole brood of kids. Yeah, I know, melodramatic, thy name is Dustin. So sue me. The girl I loved in secret was interested in a close friend of mine. I was entitled to a little irrationality. So there.

"You okay over there?"

I grunted. I don't wanna talk to you. Go away. I just wanna sit and feel sorry for myself for awhile. But, no one ever accused blond and broody of being perceptive.

"Dustin?"

"What?" I asked in annoyance.

"You okay man?"

"Why?"

"I dunno. I just don't think I've ever heard you be this quiet."

"Yeah well, Energizer bunny I'm not."

Hunter raised his hands in defense. "Okay bro. Just wondering."

I tried to hide it, but a snort slipped out. Yeah, I wasn't in a real friendly mood with King Broody himself. Bite me. I felt him eye me for a long time before the tense silence was broken again.

"Dude, you mad at me for something?"

Thank you, Captain Obvious. I debated for a long time whether or not he deserved an honest answer. Level with him or let him wonder? But my tongue got the better of me.

"What are you doing?"

Hunter had apparently given up on getting an answer to his question, because he looked up in surprise. "With what?"

"Jordan." I said plainly.

He raised an eyebrow. "She told you about that?"

"Come off it Hunter. We all saw you flirting with her last night." I pointed out, avoiding the question.

"Is that what this is about? That I asked Jordan out?"

"I just don't want to see her get hurt. You aren't known for your long attention span when it comes to girls Hunter."

"Yeah bro, but Jordan isn't just any girl. You really think I'd screw over half the team that keeps our asses out of the fire? She'd probably put live scorpions in the Insectizord's pilot seat."

I didn't laugh. "She was there for me so I'm going to be there for her. Don't screw around with this Hunter."

Hunter put down the part he was working on to give me his full attention, looking serious. "I don't want to see her hurt any more than you do Dustin. I like her. I like her a lot."

"Since when?" I pressed quietly.

"Always. I've just never really had a chance to talk to her you know? She never does anything with us outside Ops and I didn't want to make her mad at me for interrupting her when she's working. I saw a chance last night and I grabbed it. Are you cool with that?"

Yeah right. But I had no choice. I turned back to my work, dismissing the matter. "I'm cool as long as she's happy."

I felt him watch me for a few seconds, as if debating whether or not to push further. Risk was his middle name. "You don't like her like that do you?"

I froze, then forced myself to keep working. "Does it matter?" I retorted quietly, avoiding the question.

"Yeah, it matters. I'm not gonna give up a chance to find out what can be, but that doesn't mean you shouldn't have a fair shot too."

Damn it, he was too honorable for his own good. "Why bother? I mean, why would she agree to go out with you if she liked me?"

"You never know dude, you might be surprised. I mean, all of us thought you were hung up on Marah. Maybe she thinks so too."

"Yeah okay, that doesn't change the fact that you're the one she's going out with." I muttered.

"I asked her for a chance. It could be just that, a chance. She might not feel the same way. I know that. But I have to see that for myself. Otherwise I'll always wonder what could be. You do what you have to do man. Just consider this: do you really want to regret not finding out or worse, find out someday that you could have had a chance with her?"

I didn't answer him, but damn if his words weren't working on me. He might have a point. I was already kicking myself for thinking it wouldn't ever be too late. How would I feel if I finally got the guts to tell her how I felt and she told me that if I had only told her sooner we could have both been happy? But what if she _did_ like Hunter? Just because she let him make the first move didn't mean that she didn't want him to.

It wasn't the first time Jordan had been asked out--the few times she ventured out of Ops to hang with us here she was a regular distraction for the dudes that stopped in. But she always turned them down. Did she say yes to Hunter out of friendship or did she really want to go out with him? And if she did accept as a friend, what would stop her from doing the same to me? Regretting not asking might hurt man, but having her accept out of courtesy would hurt a hell of a lot more.

I growled under my breath and flung my rag into the barrel. Either way I was screwed. Why did my life have to be so complicated?  
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Next Chapter: The date

Sorry for the short chapter, but I've been trying to get this out for ages after having my last version of it and Chapter Five wiped out on another computer. Well, Dustin is having his share of regrets, but will they be enough to spur him into action before it's too late?


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